Iran in March 2023

8 March 2023

1. IAEA Unlikely to Censure Iran at Board Meeting This Week (Iran International). Western officials indicate there will be no censoring of Iran at a meeting of the UN watchdog, the IAEA, this week in the wake of its visit to Tehran last weekend. Rafael Grossi, IAEA’s Director General, was invited by the Islamic Regime in a bid to show transparency, fighting the implications of bitter sanctions which are crippling the country’s economy. Grossi received commitments that the Islamic Republic will cooperate with the watchdog to resolve outstanding issues regarding monitoring and past activities but the pledges Iran made have yet to be worked out in any great detail. On Monday, Grossi announced in a press conference that he cannot guarantee any tangible changes or that greater transparency will result from his visit.
2. Iranian Regime Announces Arrests in Schoolgirls’ Poisoning (Independent Arabia). On Tuesday, the Iranian Ministry of Interior announced the first arrests related to the poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls in three months, and Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mir Ahmadi told state television, “Many people have been arrested in five provinces and the agencies are continuing their investigations.” He did not mention details of their identities, the circumstances of their arrest, or the extent of their involvement in this mysterious case that arouses great anger in Iran, as the families of the schoolgirls demand the authorities to take action.
3. Iran Claims to Develop Ballistic Missiles That Can Hit Moving Naval Targets (Tasnim News). In comments on Monday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said Iran has gained the technical know-how to produce ballistic missiles capable of hitting moving naval units. The missile has been tested successfully and is being mass produced, he added, noting that Iran is now among the only three countries in the world that have the know-how to manufacture these missiles. The top general also said that the new missile will ensure remarkable security at the seas around Iran within a radius of over 1,000 kilometers.

9 March 2023

1. US Sanctions Iranian Officials on International Women’s Day (Iran International). The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials and companies over serious human rights abuses, stepping up pressure on Tehran over its crackdown on protests. The US action came in concert with the European Union, Britain and Australia to mark International Women’s Day. The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on two senior Iranian prison officials it accused of being responsible for serious human rights abuses against women and girls. Washington also put sanctions on Iran’s top army commander, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an official tied to the Iranian government’s efforts to block internet access. Also hit with sanctions were three Iranian companies and their leaders who have enabled law enforcement repression, according to the statement.
2. Iran’s Alleged Ammunition for Russia’s War in Ukraine: The Secret Journey of the Cargo Ships Accused of Supplying Invasion (Sky News). Iran has secretly supplied large quantities of bullets, rockets, and mortar shells to Russia for the war in Ukraine and plans to send more, a security source has told Sky News. The source claimed that two Russian-flagged cargo ships departed an Iranian port in January bound for Russia via the Caspian Sea, carrying approximately 100 million bullets and around 300,000 shells. Ammunition for rocket launchers, mortars, and machine guns was allegedly included in the shipments.
3. US, European Powers Express Alarm at Iran Enriching Uranium to 84 Percent (Al Arabiya English). The US and Europe’s top powers on Wednesday expressed alarm at Iran having produced a tiny amount of uranium enriched to 84 percent purity, very close to weapons grade, and said Iran must explain how it happened…“With respect to the detected particles of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent, all Board members should be gravely concerned by this alarming development,” a US statement to a quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors said.
4. Family of US Citizen killed in IRGC Attacks Sues Iran (Iran International). The family of Omar “Chicho” Mahmoudzadeh, a US citizen who was killed in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack in Iraq, has sued the Islamic Republic in a US court. Mahmoudzadeh – along with at least 12 others — was killed during the Revolutionary Guard’s bombing campaign in late September, when the regime stepped up attacks on Iraq’s Kurdistan region, presumably to pressure Iranian Kurdish opposition groups whom it accused of fomenting the unrest ignited by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody. The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the US District Court in Washington DC by Mahmoudzadeh’s wife and daughter, seeks $300 million in punitive and $50 million in compensatory damages “for severe personal injuries and other irreparable harm” suffered as a result of his extrajudicial killing and alleged acts of terrorism by the Islamic Republic and its military arm, the Revolutionary Guards.
5. Iran Issues Serious Warning against Israel’s Presence in Caucasus (Tehran Times). Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian urged countries in the Caucasus region to act vigilantly in the face of Israel and not to provide an excuse for its presence in the region. “The presence of Israel in the Caucasus is one of the important concerns, and Iran warns all sides to act vigilantly toward Israel and don’t provide an excuse for the presence of Israel in the Caucasus,” the Iranian foreign minister insisted.

10 March 2023

1. Exclusive:  Netanyahu Warns He Will Not Tolerate A ‘Threshold Iran‘ (Iran International). Netanyahu’s 25-minute interview was broadcast by Iran International TV into Iran Thursday evening local time with Persian dubbing. Netanyahu was asked if he has a message for Iranians and he said, “We stand with you, I stand with you, most of the world stands with you…don’t lose heart, be strong”…Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iran International that Tehran is “dangerously moving forward” in its nuclear program and close to “red lines.” In an interview on Wednesday, the Israeli leader said that he returned to the government primarily to make sure that Iran cannot become a nuclear “threshold power”…He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic wants nuclear weapons “to buy immunity” both in its mischiefs against the world and also as protection from the Iranian people who reject its legitimacy. However, the Israeli premier expressed optimism that the West has become more cognizant of the dangers the Iranian regime poses to the world, not just to its own people and Israel. He attributed this “miraculous achievement” to the “courage of the Iranian people” who through their recent protests showed “the true nature” of the regime to the world.
2. U.S. Sanctions China-based Network Accused of Supplying Iran Drone Maker (Al Sharq Al Awsat). The United States has imposed two new packages of sanctions on Iran, which include a “shadow banking” network that provides access to international financial systems and another network based in China that supports the Iranian drone industry. The move comes after US intelligence agencies accused the Iranian regime of posing a threat to the interests of the United States and its partners in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the regime is said to be “very close” to producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. The US Treasury has stated that the sanctions target 39 entities that make up the “shadow banking” network. 
3. European Countries to Dissolve Iran Trade System That Never Took Off (Al Arabiya English). European countries said Thursday that they have decided to dissolve a system conceived in 2019 to enable trade with Iran and protect companies doing business with it from US sanctions, but only ever processed one transaction. The German and French foreign ministries said the 10 shareholders of INSTEX — Belgium, Germany, Finland, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK — concluded that there was no basis to keep it going after Iran persistently refused to work with the institution.
4. New Warship Delivered to IRGC Navy (Tehran Times). An ocean-going warship, named Shahid Mahdavi, was added to the IRGC Navy fleet in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Thursday morning. The multi-purpose Shahid Mahdavi warship, manufactured by local experts and technicians, weighs more than 2,100 tons. It also has a length of 240 meters and a width of 27 meters.Equipped with a 3-dimensional phased array radar, sea-to-sea and sea-to-air missiles, and advanced communication systems for electronic warfare, the warship is capable of carrying different types of helicopters, drones and speedboats, Tasnim reported.

13 March 2023

1. Iranian Officials Hail ‘End Of US Influence’ In Middle East (Iran International). The decline of American and “Zionist power” has begun, a military advisor to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei said Sunday, following a Chinese brokered deal with Saudis. General Yahya Rahim Safavi echoed the sentiment expressed by all forces in Iran who are considered “Principlist” or loyal to Khamenei, who for years has espoused a policy of siding with China and Russia against the United States. China appeared to be the power that brokered a deal between Tehran and Riyadh to restore diplomatic relations after seven years of open hatred and rivalry.
2. Russia Sending US Weapons to Iran to Be Reverse-Engineered (CNN). A new report has revealed that Russia is sending US and NATO weapons and equipment captured on the battlefield in Ukraine to Iran to be reverse-engineered. In a report Friday, CNN cited four sources familiar with the matter as saying that Tehran has been trying to reverse-engineer the systems and probably produce similar ones. According to the sources, the US, NATO, and other Western officials have seen several instances of Russian forces seizing smaller, shoulder-fired weapons equipment, including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft systems that Ukrainian forces have left behind on the battlefield. In many cases, Russia has then flown the equipment to Iran to dismantle and analyze, likely so the Islamic Republic military can attempt to make their version of the weapons, sources said, adding that Russia believes that continuing to provide captured Western weapons to Iran will incentivize Tehran to maintain its support for Russia’s war.
3. US Says Iranian Claims of Prisoner Swap are False (Al Arabiya English). The US has denied a claim that Iran plans to release three American prisoners in exchange for releasing frozen funds. Iran’s top diplomat said Sunday that a deal was nearly finalized but did not elaborate. “Unfortunately, Iranian officials will not hesitate to make things up, and the latest cruel claim will cause more heartache for the families of Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz,” a National Security Council official told Al Arabiya English.

14 March 2023

1. Iran-Saudi Deal to Resume Ties Stirs Controversy in Iran (Iran International). Tehran’s deal to resume relations with Saudis has stirred controversy in Iranian political circles as reform politicians and media expose the “hypocrisy” of hardliners. Hossein Shariatmadari, the hardliner editor of Kayhan, who has been harshly criticized for changing his positions on the issue of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, has accused reformists of not understanding the agreement… Social media users posted the screenshot of quotes from Raisi in a January 4, 2016 report one day after Iranian government-led vigilante groups attacked Saudi diplomatic buildings in Iran and set fire to them, that “Iran does not need relations with Saudi Arabia.”
2. Iran Has Pardoned 22,000 Arrested During Protests, Judiciary Chief Says (Al Arabiya English). Iranian judicial authorities have pardoned 22,000 people who took part in anti-government protests, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Monday, according to the official IRNA news agency. State media reported early last month that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had pardoned “tens of thousands” of prisoners including some arrested in the protests in a deadly crackdown on dissent…He did not specify over what period the pardons were granted or if or when the people had been charged.

15 March 2023

1. Belarusian President Lukashenko Visits Iran to Learn from its Experience in Evading Sanctions (Tehran Times). Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting on Monday with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the countries that are being put under unilateral sanctions by the U.S. and its Western allies must join hands to nullify sanctions. “Those countries that have been sanctioned by America must destroy the weapon of sanctions through cooperation with one another and forming a common group, and we believe this is possible to do,” the Leader suggested. Ayatollah Khamenei added, “Severe sanctions made Iran notice its own intrinsic capabilities and forces.”…For his part, the Belarusian president said his visit to Iran was aimed at opening a new chapter in the two countries’ relations, vowing to follow up on all agreements between the two countries through cooperation and determination of his Iranian counterpart.
2. US Pursues Diplomacy with Iran, but not on Restoring Nuclear Deal (Iran International). The US State Department refused Monday to comment on the possible release of Iran’s frozen funds in exchange for three Americans held by Iran. However, the State Department’s outgoing spokesperson Ned Price signaled that efforts are underway for their release. He also sounded optimistic about last week’s deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore relations brokered by China. There have long been signs that a US agreement to free $7 billion frozen by South Korean banks would be the price to pay for releasing three dual-nationals considered, in effect, hostages held by Iran…At the same time, Price reiterated that restoring the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) with Iran “is not on the agenda.”
3. Iranian Protesters Return to Streets Ahead of “Festival of Fire” (IranWire). Protesters took to the streets of multiple Iranian cities on the evening of March 13 to call for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic ahead of Chaharshanbe Suri, the Persian festival of fire. Videos shared on social media show demonstrators in cities including Tehran, Sanandaj, Kamiyaran, and Mashhad, chanting “Woman, life, freedom,” the main slogan of the nationwide protest movement triggered by the September death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of morality police.
4. France Says Tehran Publicly Acknowledged Arbitrary Detention of French Citizens (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Paris said Tehran has “publicly” acknowledged the arbitrary detention of French citizens after an Iranian spokesman criticized France’s “interfering role” and “unconstructive” position that allegedly hampers talks for the release of detained French citizens. French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre stated at a press conference that they were informed of the statements made by Nasser Kanaani, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, on Monday. The statements are said to be “disturbing” as they demonstrate the arbitrary nature of the arrests.

16 March 2023

1. Iran, China, and Russia Team up for Naval Drills This Week (Iran Wire). The Iranian, Chinese, and Russian navies are holding joint drills in the Gulf of Oman, which connects the strategic Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Iran, China, and Russia had similar exercises in 2019 and 2022, underscoring their growing military and political links amid growing tensions with the United States.
2. Europeans Suspend Academic Ties with Iran (Iran International). A high-ranking Iranian Ministry of Science official says Europeans have restricted their academic ties with the Islamic Republic. Germany has also closed the country’s German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) office. Vahid Haddadi-Asl, the deputy minister in international affairs, told the state-run ISNA news agency that the European countries are not interested in academic collaboration with Iran.

20 March 2023

1. Saudi King Invites Iran’s President to Visit Riyadh (Al Nahar). President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran has received a letter from King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, extending an invitation for a visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh…King Salman emphasized the importance of bolstering economic and regional cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
2. IRGC Commanders Warned Khamenei about Implosion (IranWire). Agitated elements within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residence with artillery at least once since the start of Iran’s recent protests, as frustration grows within the armed forces over the situation, IranWire can reveal. And during a January 3 meeting with the Supreme Leader, IRGC commanders expressed frustration over the ongoing protests and warned Khamenei about the Islamic Republic’s future.

21 March 2023

1. New EU and UK Sanctions Against Iranian Officials (Al Sharq News). The European Union has imposed sanctions on the Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution and Iranian officials, while Britain has levied sanctions on an additional group of Revolutionary Guard officials. These actions are part of the latest series of measures aimed at freezing assets and prohibiting visas.
2. Leaked Documents Shows IRGC Losing Edge in Iran and Region (Iran International). The minutes of a meeting of senior clerics and Revolutionary Guard commanders with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, leaked to media last week, suggest that the economic and political situation in Iran has [deteriorated to the point that] the Islamic Republic’s forces sell information about Quds Force operations to Israel.

22 March 2023

1. US Treasury Issues New Sanctions Against Iran’s Drone Program (Iran International). The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of investigations (FBI), targeted a network in Iran and Turkiye for involvement in the procurement of equipment, including European-origin engines for drones on behalf of Iran’s defense ministry and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which is already designated by the US.
2. Protests in Iran’s Kurdish Areas Met with Violence amid Nowruz Holiday (Iran Wire). Iran’s armed forces have used shotguns and tear gas to disperse anti-government protests in multiple western Kurdish towns and cities, wounding dozens of people, as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year. Violent clashes occurred across Kurdistan province late on March 20, including in Mahabad, Saqqez and Dehgolan, as residents attended cultural and traditional events to mark Nowruz amid heavy security presence, sources told IranWire.
3. Supreme Leader Khamenei Denies Involvement in Ukraine War, Accuses US of Starting Conflict (Al Arabiya). Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday rejected accusations that his country is involved in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and instead accused the United States of starting the conflict and being its “biggest profiteer.” “(The West) falsely claims that Iran is involved in the war in Ukraine. There is no such thing,” Khamenei said in a speech to mark Nowruz, the Iranian new year.

23 March 2023

1. Leaked Document Reveals Contention about Role of Khamenei’s Son (Iran International). A recently-leaked document on a meeting of senior IRGC commanders and clerics with the Supreme Leader has revealed contention about the role of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba…During the meeting, Yadollah Bouali, the Revolutionary Guard’s commander in the southwestern province of Fars, criticized interventions by Mojtaba Khamenei and forces under his command, saying that such measures disrupt the security structure of the country.
2. Iranian Deputy FM Holds Nuclear Talks with European Officials in Oslo (Al Arabiya). Sources within the German Foreign Ministry have confirmed to Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath that a meeting took place last week in Oslo between European diplomats from Germany, France, and Britain, and the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani…The meeting dealt with several files, the most important of which was the Iranian escalation in the nuclear file, and European diplomats expressed their concerns and the positions of their countries “clearly” to the Iranian side.

24 March 2023

1. Iran Officials Hold Secret Talks with West Without Raisi’s Knowledge (Middle east Eye). Secret talks between representatives of the Iranian ruling establishment and Western officials over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and freeing US prisoners happened recently, two sources told Middle East Eye. However, according to Iranian authorities, who are close to the talks, the government of President Ebrahim Raisi was not informed of the dialogue. According to analysts, this plays a part in a growing trend that has seen figures close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei take the lead on foreign policy.
2. US Judge Orders $1.68 Billion Payout by Iran Over 1983 Beirut Bombing (Iran International). A federal judge in New York ordered Iran’s central bank and a European intermediary to pay out $1.68 billion to family members of troops killed in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon.
3. Iranian Oil Exports Reach 1.3M Barrels Per Day Despite US Sanctions (Tasnim News). Iran has achieved its highest level of oil exports for at least two years, surpassing the previous high of 1.3 million barrels a day despite US sanctions, according to Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ehsan Khandouzi. Khandouzi also stated that non-oil exports worth $53 billion were 12% higher in the first 11 months of this year than last year.

27 March 2023

1. Iranian Central Bank Announces 46% Inflation, Highest in 50 Years (Iran International). According to a document from a confidential meeting of senior government officials, which was recently published by Iran International, the Central Bank of Iran has omitted certain sensitive information regarding the inflation rate in its latest statistical report. This meeting was held to discuss the management of economic statistics release due to concerns about public dissatisfaction. On Sunday, the 6th of Esfand (the twelfth and final month of the Solar Hijri calendar), the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that the inflation rate for the 12 months ending in Esfand last year was 46.5 percent. However, they did not disclose the details of the inflation index for the month of Esfand.
2. Iranian Protesters Flood Zahedan Streets; Sunni Cleric Urges Regime Leadership to Listen to the People (Iran Wire). Thousands of Iranian protesters returned to the streets of Zahedan on March 24, as the southeastern city’s Sunni Friday prayer leader reiterated his call on the country’s Shia establishment to heed the “legitimate demands of the majority of the people.” Each week, Zahedan residents have been holding protest rallies after Friday prayers led by Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric.

28 March 2023

1. Canada Sanctions More Iranian Officials over Drones and Protest Crackdown (Iran International). The Canadian government is imposing sanctions on two more Iranian entities and eight individuals over human rights violations. This is the 10th round of sanctions imposed by Ottawa against Tehran since October 2022 targeting officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) for “gross and systematic human rights violations.”
2. Russia Supplies Iran With Cyber Weapons as Military Cooperation Grows (Wall Street Journal). Russia is helping Iran gain advanced digital-surveillance capabilities as Tehran seeks deeper cooperation on cyberwarfare, people familiar with the matter said, adding another layer to a burgeoning military alliance that the U.S. sees as a threat. The potential for cyberwarfare collaboration comes after Iran has, according to U.S. and Iranian officials, sold Russia drones for use in Ukraine, agreed to provide short-range missiles to Moscow and shipped tank and artillery rounds to the battlefield. 

29 March 2023

1. Austin: Iran and Its Proxies Launched 83 Attacks on American Interests since Biden Took Office (Al Arabiya). A senior US cabinet official admitted Tuesday that the Biden administration should have notified lawmakers earlier than it did about a deadly drone attack on American forces in Syria last week. “We should have notified you earlier,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill … Al Arabiya English was the first to report that the US had only responded to three of 83 Iran-backed attacks on US troops since January 2021.
2. Mossad Says It Helped Foil Planned Iranian Attack on Jewish Targets in Greece (Times of Israel). The Mossad spy agency says it aided Greek authorities in foiling an attempt by two Pakistanis to carry out an attack against Israeli and Jewish targets in Greece…The Mossad says the investigation revealed that the two Pakistanis were part of a “wide Iranian network that operates from Iran and out of many countries.”
3. Ukraine Says a Dozen More Iranian Drones Downed in Kyiv (Iran International). Ukrainian military officials say 12 more Iranian-made drones were shot down in the latest Russian attack on the capital city, Kyiv. On Monday, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said that the debris from a drone fell on a residential building in an area west of the capital. It caused significant damage, and a fire was put out quickly, but no casualties were reported.

30 March 2023

1. IRGC Urges Palestinians to Take Advantage of Turmoil in Israel (Iran International). The spokesman of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has called on the Palestinians to take advantage of recent protests in Israel to destabilize the country. Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said on Tuesday that “the occupied territories are the scene of confrontation of a movement within the Zionist regime that wants to stand against the totalitarianism of another wing.” 
2. A Russian-Iranian ِِِAgreement to Resume Negotiations to Revive the Nuclear Deal (Al Arabiya). At a press conference held on Wednesday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, urged for the resumption of negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and global powers… Abdollahian stated that defense collaboration is indeed among the topics on Tehran and Moscow’s agenda; however, he emphasized that it “will not be against any party.” Amir-Abdollahian further expressed readiness to sign a long-term agreement between Moscow and Tehran.

31 March 2023

1. Iran Condemns Fresh Israeli Attacks on Syria (Tasnim Agency). In a statement on Friday, Nasser Kanaani vehemently condemned the attacks that the “aggressive Zionist regime” has conducted against several sites in Damascus and its suburbs on Thursday and Friday morning.
2. The ICJ Ruled in Favor of Tehran, OR World Court Rejected Tehran’s Bid to Free Assets Frozen in the US (Tehran Times & Iran International). Tehran Times said The ICJ ordered Washington to pay compensation, announcing the amount to be determined later. Washington’s freezing of funds belonging to several Iranian individuals and companies, including $1.75 billion from the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), was “manifestly unreasonable,” the ICJ stated. On the other hand, Iran International said The International Court of Justice (ICE) rejected Tehran’s legal bid to free up $1.75 billion of the Islamic Republic’s assets frozen by US court rulings on Thursday.  In a 10-5 majority decision, judges said the UN International Court of Justice did not have jurisdiction to rule on the Iranian claim linked to the assets of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) that were blocked to be paid in compensation to victims of a 1983 bombing in Lebanon and other attacks linked to the Islamic Republic. The CBI’s frozen assets of $1.75 billion in bonds, plus accumulated interest, are held in a Citibank account in New York.
3. Iran & Russia Finalize Draft Agreement on Strategic Cooperation (Tasnim Agency). Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian unveiled plans to finalize the draft agreement on comprehensive and strategic cooperation with Russia within the next month.
4. Exclusive: Iranian Intelligence Officer Confesses to Tehran’s African Terror Efforts (Iran International). In a video clip obtained by “Iran International,” the interrogation of Hamid Reza Mohammad Abraha, an officer of Unit 853 of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence in Tanzania, revealed the Iranian regime’s infiltration of Africa through economic cooperation, intending to exploit the Baluch ethnicity to execute terrorist acts. 
5. Israeli Defense Minister Warns of Iran’s “War of Attrition” Against His Country (CNN Arabia). During an event with Shin Bet security officers, the Defense Minister stated, “We are currently in a difficult security period where Iran is waging a war of attrition against Israel while simultaneously preparing its plans to acquire military nuclear weapons. The potential exists in these areas to ignite a conflagration in the region and inflame other areas.”